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DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY!!! THE COMPANY DOESN'T EVEN BACK THEIR OWN PRODUCT!!!!

Pros: NONE! NOT WHEN THE SYSTEM DOESN'T WORK AND THE COMPANY WILL NOT BACK THEIR OWN PRODUCT. THIS IS A WASTE OF MONEY!!!

Cons: DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT!!!!!!! I have had two of these systems, I took back the first system because it wouldn't recognize the controller. Now the second system is doing the same thing. I called the company with in 30 days of receiving the second system (past the return time with the store which is 14-days for electronics) and they do not stand by their product. I was told if the store would not exchange it, then there is nothing Hyperkin can do. THIS IS THE COMPANY WHO MANUFACTURES THIS MACHINE. I find it absolutely ludicrous that they do not give any kind of warranty on their product for ANY amount of time. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY!!!!

Reviewed By:Classy,10/24/2014 4:57:20 PM
This reviewer reports that his/her technical understanding of this type of product is Somewhat High and has owned this product 1 week to 1 month.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Pros: - Nice custom interface to play all those classic carts at a moment's notice.

- Great support for original input devices. Didn't try any light guns though.

- Plays SNES and NES games (even those weird unlicensed NES carts) pretty flawlessly from what I can tell.

- The cheat database is awesome, but you might put on too many cheats at once and lock up your game.

- Great to be able to connect to a modern TV without worrying about converter boxes and whatnot.

Cons: So, this is where the "seems" part comes in to play. I think I got a bad unit and I couldn't really keep and enjoy the Retron as a result.

- I could not play ANY Genesis game I owned for a significant amount of time. I was able to play maybe 5 minutes of one game one time - Every other time, the Retron would: recognize the cart, load the game, and lose contact with the cart before I could get to the play menu. I tried a series of games ranging from Sonic 2 to Chakan. All did the same thing, except Shinobi 2, which is what played for 5 minutes, but then had the cart detection problem going forward. If I touched the cart or bumped the Retron, the system would try to read the cart once more, but lose it again like before.

- Customer support via e-mail was lacking and then basically non-existent. I sent one support email and got a reply more than a week later telling me that it doesn't seem like a hardware problem since the system isn't reporting that it's a hardware problem and that I should upgrade the system software. Despite being dubious that my issue was s/w related, I gave it a try. Still didn't work. Wrote support again (I work during their support hours so I couldn't call) and never got a response (approaching 3 weeks now). In the absence of a response from support, I tried a newer firmware with equally disappointing results.

- I get why the do this, but software upgrade process is awful. You can't just download a patch to an SD card and load it on the system. First, the system needs to generate a request file that is saved on the SD card. Then, you need to upload said request file via PC to their site. Next, download the update on your PC, and copy/save it to SD. Then you need to put the SD card back in your Retron and TRY to load the SD card.

- I ran into a few instances where the Retron would not detect my SD card without completely restarting the unit.

- The bundled controller is kind of awful. If you have any classic controllers, use those and remap the buttons if you have to.

Other Thoughts: Despite some of the system's quirks, getting what seems to be a defective unit, and being unable to get timely support, I still really like the idea of the Retron. So I've RMA'd my device with Newegg and am hoping to get it replaced. If I do get a replacement in a decent time frame, I'll try to come back and update my review, if possible.

I feel kind of bad leaving a review rated this low since I really like the product and think it has all sorts of potential; however, I was/am pretty disappointed in the whole thing and I wanted to let other people know how the Retron 5 experience went for me.

Reviewed By:Kris,7/11/2014 9:18:53 AM
This reviewer reports that his/her technical understanding of this type of product is High and has owned this product 1 week to 1 month.

Pros: Excellent video output. The ability to toggle Scanline generation is great, most games look best with them on and it helps the scaling effects look better IMHO. The included controller is rounder than it looks and though there is little travel in the buttons THEY ARE MICROSWITCH. So, they are quality buttons. The control stick reminds me of the Neo Geo CD or the old Atari 7800 redux controller Atari released towards it's end. This is ALSO microswitch. It's better than it looks for shooters. Controller ports work great, assigning controllers default maps is awesome, too much great things here to name, all working great.

Cons: The carts are a bit tough to pull out in the beginning. They go in fine, i recommend pulling out slow and steady without placing any back and forth force on it, you probably will break something that way, your fault. Does not have standard USB port to hook in pc devices or a pc cd/dvd rom to play SEGA CD games, that would have been a nice option.

Other Thoughts: I like this thing, i like it ALOT.

It brings all of your old home games up to the video quality of an arcade machine. If you have a large LCD/Plasma then it looks like an arcade display now!!! No video lag, no issues i've seen and i'm a discerning jerk most of the time to behonest. I spend weeks calibrating my new TV's to the right white level and to my liking, pretty much a perfectionist jerk sometimes , i'll openly admit it., This box is mostly all I could ask for.

Reviewed By:CaptainBuck,6/29/2014 1:45:46 PM
This reviewer reports that his/her technical understanding of this type of product is High and has owned this product 1 week to 1 month.

+ Plays Genesis, Game Boy, GBC, and GBA as it says it does (at least the ones I have tested so far). Update 6/20: Stop recognizing Nintendo and Super Nintendo games most of the time. After firmware update and factory reset, issue persists. If I take out and re-insert, I can usually get the cartridge to recognize after a random number of attempts.

+ Seems to play most games without a hitch most of the time. I had one freeze so far but had saved the game.

+ A lot of customization available on the launch menu

+ Original controllers work well if plugged in at boot-up, including the NES Advantage on one player. Sometimes switching controllers may 'confuse' the system or take a moment to figure out the chance.

+ Top loading for NES is better than the front loading system for the most part.

+ International outlet adapters included

+ Saves space not only under the TV, but also on the powerstrip. Saves energy and heat with power supply.

Cons: - Instructions for updates and troubleshooting are not in the manual and difficult to follow online unless you have extensive knowledge with computers and file transfers. The learning curve is a bit steep, but if you're determined, you may be able to get the updates to install. Otherwise it's a call to Hyperkin and/or redo many steps.

- Some glitchy speed-ups/lag on a few games like GunSmoke. Sound issues after saving Castlevania GBA game but kicks in after a moment. Could perhaps be rectified on firmware update?

- Doesn't have A/V RCA outputs like in the original design. I bought a Mini HDMI to 3RCA Composite AV Converter that works well for my older TV

- Wireless controller clicks like that kid in class with a mechanical pencil who can't get the lead out. Oddly shaped. Not really user friendly but functional.

- Took forever it seems to fulfill the pre-order, was promised dates and was delayed on at least 3 occasions. No direct customer communication on delays. This is probably solved now that it's been launched

- Price hike? What's up with that? Mine was pre-ordered when it was $99, I think this was fair and reasonable for the system.

Reviewed By:N/A,6/25/2014 8:16:19 AM
This reviewer reports that his/her technical understanding of this type of product is Somewhat High and has owned this product 1 week to 1 month. Did you find this review helpful?

Pros: Plays MOST of a whole library of classic and not so classic games. Easy to use. Filter options. Upscaling. Updatable.

Cons: Made from pretty low quality plastic. Some games do not work. It is an emulation system and not the original hardware.

Other Thoughts: If you're into retro gaming and would like a lot more shelf space, less cable clutter, and the ability to play most of your games upscaled for hd, then buy it. If you're an absolute pixel purist and can't stand the idea of playing on a flat screen/emulator, then buy it and resell if you really don't like it. Good buy.

Reviewed By:Frankie,6/20/2014 11:19:24 PM
This reviewer reports that his/her technical understanding of this type of product is Somewhat High and has owned this product 1 day to 1 week. Did you find this review helpful?

Pros: This machine plays not only nes but snes games! All of my games were going to waste as I was out looking for working snes original consoles but this solved that problem! It runs rather well, using both of the old controllers that I still have and all!

Cons: The snes games don't sit properly/play properly the way they sit, I have to wedge something to push them slightly forward to get them to work. It's not a big deal just something slightly annoying.

Reviewed By:Olarnder,10/27/2013 8:47:06 AM
This reviewer reports that his/her technical understanding of this type of product is Somewhat High and has owned this product 1 month to 1 year.